HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Easter Sunday (Year A)

Apr 5, 2026

169

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First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:34a, 37-43)

Peter proceeded to speak and said: "You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23)

(R) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever." (R)

The right hand of the Lord has struck with power; the right hand of the Lord is exalted. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (R)

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:1-4)

Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on Earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to John (20:1-9)

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial clothes there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Today's Gospel, Luke (24:13-35), recounts the appearance of Jesus on the same day of His Resurrection to two of His disciples, one named Cleopas and another unnamed. They were walking from Jerusalem to their village of Emmaus, a journey of roughly seven miles. While they were not among the original Twelve Apostles, they were possibly part of the wider group of seventy-two disciples sent out by Jesus to preach the gospel, Luke (10) and so, they likely followed Jesus and witnessed His divine identity, authority, power, miracles, teaching, and daily life for three years. They had heard Jesus testify about His suffering, death, and resurrection. They had also heard from the women who returned from the tomb and reported finding the tomb empty, seeing a vision of angels, and being told that Jesus was alive.

Despite Jesus' predictions and testimonies from women, the disciples struggled to believe or fully understand Jesus' death and resurrection, leading some, including these two disciples, to leave Jerusalem in disappointment, confusion, grief, and fear, and to not recognize Jesus when He walked alongside and engaged them in conversation. Luke states, "their eyes were prevented" from recognizing that it was Christ. This indicates that God Himself restrained the disciples' perception to fulfil a spiritual purpose, allowing Jesus to remove their psychological and spiritual barriers by first listening to their despair, then correcting their limited understanding of the Messiah through scriptures, and finally revealing Himself in the breaking of bread.

The disciples had believed Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, but they held a deeply entrenched, preconceived idea that He would be a political or military Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule and restore an earthly, temporal kingdom. They expected a glorious and conquering King, not a suffering servant, leading to shock and disillusionment when Jesus was crucified. Now, Luke does not list the specific Old Testament passages Jesus quoted to the disciples. Instead, he states that Jesus interpreted to them "what was said about Himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets", Luke (24:27).

While not itemized, Jesus likely covered prophecies regarding the Messiah. He pointed to the powerful Messianic prophecy in the Book of Deuteronomy (18:15) where Moses, the great leader and lawgiver of Israel, foretold the coming of a prophet like himself. From there, Jesus likely guided the disciples to understand the prophecy of Isaiah which was given to King Ahaz at around 735 BC. This prophecy, featuring a young woman or virgin giving birth to a son named Immanuel or God with us was fulfilled by Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to Mary, Matthew (1:18-23). From there Jesus could have led them to understand the prophecy of Isaiah (53:3) which describes the Messiah as "despised," "rejected," and "a man of sorrows". He could have clarified that His rejection, sorrow, and suffering were not failures, but the necessary fulfilment of prophecy, proving His role as the Suffering Servant who bore humanity's sins.

From there perhaps Jesus showed them the prophetic message of Isaiah (53:7) which describes the Suffering Servant (Jesus Christ) willingly enduring humiliation and sacrificial suffering, remaining silent like a lamb led to slaughter, rather than protesting His unjust treatment. Maybe Jesus also alluded to the prophecy written in the Book of Zechariah (12:10) about five hundred years before Jesus' crucifixion, predicting that the people of Israel would recognize and mourn the one they have "pierced". Thus, Jesus walked them through the entirety of the scriptures specifically detailing the necessity of His life, suffering, death and resurrection to fulfil God's plan and rebuked them for being "foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke." In other words, Jesus pointed out to them that a lack of faith in the scriptures hinders true understanding of His mission and the recognition of His resurrection.

However, surprisingly, the disciples did not recognize Jesus, even after He had explained the scriptures. They urged Him to stay with them, unaware that it was Jesus, because it was nearly evening and He seemed to be travelling further. When Jesus complied and stayed for a meal, and He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, mirroring the Last Supper, their spiritual eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. It indicates that relationship with God is built on taking Him at His word (faith) rather than needing physical sight, as the scriptures serve as the primary way to know and experience God's character. Immediately upon recognition, Jesus vanished from their sight, demonstrating a new, transformed, and resurrected experience.

Later, overwhelmed by the realization that they had been speaking with the resurrected Jesus, they confided to each other: "Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" Moreover, they immediately returned to Jerusalem and shared their experience of recognizing the risen Jesus during the breaking of bread. They gave witness that Jesus was risen, and that He had walked with them and talked with them, explained the Scriptures to them, and broke bread at their table.

What is the message for us?

Like the two disciples, there are moments we too walk through life confused, frustrated, disappointed, anxious, and scared especially when things don't go as planned or hoped. Sometimes, we let doubt, fear, grief and sorrow to blind us to God's work and His presence in our lives. But this gospel story reminds us that God does not abandon us in crisis, nor is He absent or far away from us but rather walks with us always, especially when we are crushed in spirit or when we feel lost or walk away from our purpose. Just as He did for the two disciples, Jesus draws near to us in our sadness even when we don't recognize Him and He listens to our stories of "what we had hoped". He joins us in our conversations, particularly when sharing struggles, hardships, or seeking guidance with fellow believers for He has promised to be in our midst when we gather in His name, Matthew (18:20).

He patiently removes all our emotional, psychological, and spiritual barriers that prevent us from experiencing His presence and peace. So, when we sit in prayer - whether in private or in church - let us cast aside our anxious thoughts and surrender them to our Lord Jesus. Let us pray with confidence that He is listening to us, never grows weary of loving us and pursuing us. Let us be assured that He may remove all the barriers standing in our way and open our eyes to recognize His presence, kindle our hearts with hope, and guide us through despair.
Today the name of Jesus is globally known, transcending religious, cultural, and geographical boundaries. Yet familiarity with Jesus' name does not mean that people know Him personally, biblically or believe in the salvation He offers. While many people know about Jesus, such as His teachings, miracles, and historical facts - not all truly know Him and accept Him. Today's gospel story reminds us that we find Jesus primarily through scriptures. However, it is not enough to merely know about Jesus Christ but rather understand and trust in the prophetic message of the scriptures that proclaims Jesus as the Son of God, and our Saviour, and have a personal, transformative relationship with Him.

Jesus says, "If people do not listen to the teachings of Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead", Luke (16:32). He also says, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me", John (5:46). Through these teachings, Jesus asserts that the scriptures are fundamentally about Him, acting as a pointer that should lead people to trust Him. Therefore, let us avoid being "slow of heart to believe" but rather diligently study and trust in all that the prophets have spoken. Let us move beyond merely believing what we want and instead embrace the whole Scriptures which prepare us to stand firm, avoid falling away, and recognize His divinity.
This story reveals that the Holy Eucharist is the most supreme, intimate means to recognize the resurrected Christ in His real presence, transforming the Holy Mass from mere ritual into a life-changing encounter with the risen Lord who nourishes, heals, and sustains us. Therefore, let us look forward to the Holy Mass not as a ritual or an obligation, but an intimate meeting in which Jesus is truly, personally present, turning our sorrow into conviction and joy, and which changes our lives forever. However, just as the disciples urged Jesus to "stay with us" we too should ask Jesus to stay with us so that we can recognize Him, have our hearts burn with His words, experience hope, and be filled with joy. By asking Jesus to stay, we, like the disciples, are enabled to stop walking in fear and instead share the good news of His presence with others.

I wish you all a Blessed and Joyful Easter.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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